The present invention generally relates to packaging containers for a variety of, inter alia, beverages and other liquid comestibles, and more particularly to packaging containers that permit such liquid comestibles to be made from dry mixes and water in the field along with heating of the thus-formed liquid comestibles.
A variety of liquid comestibles have limited shelf life and/or require refrigeration. Consumers of such products, however, often are required to consume such liquid comestibles when they are not at home and/or do not have access to refrigeration facilities. For example, a variety of foodstuffs will spoil if they are not refrigerated. The same is true for a variety of pharmaceutical products. Risk of spoilage due to bacterial contamination translates into a limited useful life of the product absent refrigeration. In other contexts, liquid comestible products may require heating for sterilization, organoleptic properties, etc. Thus, not only does the consumer require that the liquid comestible be refrigerated prior to ingestion, but often the comestible must be heated prior too.
The art has addressed the foregoing dilemma and proposed a variety of packing containers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,565 proposes a self-heating container system for heating beverages or food, wherein the container has an upper chamber filled with water separated by a thin plate from a lower chamber filled with lime. Sharp spikes can be depressed from outside the container to pierce the thin plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,218 proposes a similar heating system for heating or cooling foodstuffs wherein an external lock-out system prevents unintended piercing of the diaphragm and premature heating/cooling of the foodstuff.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,801 proposes a liquid/powder foodstuff mixing container with a piercing tool actuated from outside the container to pierce a diaphragm separating the water and powder. No heating or cooling is shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,394 proposes a similar mixing container for dry cereal and milk.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,867 proposes a self-heating container system for heating beverages or food much like that system in the '565 patent.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,753,085 and 5,205,277 propose other self-heating container system variants to the '565 and the '867 patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,428 proposes a baby bottle having a pair of vertically stacked reservoirs, one for water and one for powder, separated by a movable closure (e.g., see FIG. 15).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,257 also proposes a baby bottle having a pair of vertically stacked reservoirs, one for water and one for powder, separated by a movable closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,728 proposes a vessel housing two products separated by a membrane that can be pushed with an external rod for mixing of the products.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,126 proposes screwing together two bottles, each containing a product, wherein with joining of the bottles a movable closure is moved to cause mixing of the products.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,961 proposes a bottle with an upper and lower bellows chamber connected by a one-way valve. The upper bellows chamber is moved downwardly to force the contents of the lower chamber through the one-way valve and into the upper chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,321 proposes a bottle with an upper container and a lower container separated by a diaphragm that is puncturable from the outside.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,298 proposes a baby bottle having an upper and lower chamber separated by a rotatable ball having a penetrating shaft wherein rotation of the ball causes the chambers to be in fluid communication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,627 proposes a container with upper and lower chambers separated by a tubular closure moveable to provide communication between the chambers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,770 proposes a bottle of an upper and a lower chamber separated by a membrane, which can be punctured to provide communication between the chambers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,722 proposes a container with 3 or more chambers, each separated by a valve manually operable from outside.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,237 proposes a bottle of an upper chamber and a lower bellows chamber separated by a stopper that is released when the lower bellowed chamber is expanded.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,446 proposes a bottle having an upper and a lower chamber separated by a closure that moves when the upper bottle cap is screwed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,138 proposes a bottle composed of a pair of annularly disposed chambers wherein the upper chamber can be moved upwardly to unseal their connection so that contents within each chamber can mix.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,405 proposes a container for housing and producing a liquid comestible product and in situ heating thereof has an upper comestible chamber and a lower comestible chamber separated by a comestible diaphragm. One of the comestible chambers retains a dry powder and the other comestible chamber retains water. A moveable pierce rod assembly penetrates from outside the container to inside the upper comestible chamber and is attached to an arm disposed outside of the container. A removable protective collar is disposed between the arm and the container to retain the arm and pierce rod assembly in place. A flexible collar is disposed within the protective collar to seal the pierce rod assembly between the arm and the container. The lower chamber houses an upper heating/cooling chamber and a lower heating heating/cooling chamber separated by a heating heating/cooling diaphragm. One of the heating heating/cooling chambers retains a chemical reactant and the other heating heating/cooling chamber retains water. A moveable plunger retains by a flexible plunger diaphragm and is hand actuated from outside the container. The plunger is disposed to penetrate through and rupture the heating heating/cooling diaphragm when actuated from outside the container to combine the chemical reactant and water for generating/withdrawing heat to heat/cool the contents of the lower chamber. A dispensing tube is provided for removing the liquid comestible product from the container. Removal of the protective collar permits the pierce rod to be actuated from outside of the container for releasing contents in the upper comestible chamber into contents in the lower comestible chamber for producing a liquid comestible product from the powder and the water. The liquid comestible product can be heated/cooled by actuating the plunger to rupture the heating diaphragm.
Despite these proposals, there still is a need in the art for a simple, yet reliable container that can house separately liquid and powder for admixing in the field, followed by heating of the in situ formed liquid comestible in the same container. The present invention is addressed to such need.